A Literary Analysis Of Eudora Welty's A Worn Path

The concept of journey is a thematic element often used in literature. In Three Day Road the author, Joseph Boyden, uses the motif of journey to show transformation in the three main characters. As a part of this motif a character must go on a journey and face hardships in an attempt to reach their goal. This novel follows the main character, Xavier and his time at the front line in World War 1. The point of view switches between Xavier, who tells about his time at war with his deceased friend Elijah, and Niska, Xavier’s aunt and a windigo killer, who tells about her life and Xavier’s childhood. Xavier and Elijah were together at a residential school before Niska broke the two of them out and raised them on her own before they went off to serve in the war. The historical drama Three Day Road by Joseph Boyden explores both metaphorical and literal journeys and reveals how they heal and change people. The author uses these physical and metaphorical journeys to show the healing of Xavier’s addiction, the changes in Elijah’s character, Xavier’s psychological healing and Niska’s journey to understanding. These journeys help the reader to understand the transformation and healing process the characters go through.

With the dawn of the twentieth century came the realization that many traditional notions about civilization, culture, warfare, and even the world were entering into unknown territory. Through various sequential and cumulating events at the beginning of the era, including World War I, a new wave of thinking emerged. Characterized in literature with themes of bewilderment, uncertainty, and the apparent meaninglessness of life, Modernism reflected the devastation and insecurity left by the Great War that swept away the optimism and idealism of the past. In the short stories "In Another Country" by Ernest Hemingway, "The Corn Planting" by Sherwood Anderson, "The Far and the Near" by Thomas Wolfe and "A Worn Path" by Eudora Welty, these themes

More often than not, heros can be people who aren’t depicted as supernatural humans, with various powers. The more common heros are those with the trait of bravery, alongside various other traits. In “A Worn Path”, a grandmother by the name of Phoenix Jackson goes on a quest to obtain medicine for her sick grandson. The following traits from Joseph Campbell’s hero chart are what defines Phoenix Jackson as a hero.

Pheonix Jackson’s grandson is dead because she shows signs of dementia, she hesitates when asked about how the boy is doing, and she says words that imply the boy isn’t changing. The story “ A Worn Path” follows the difficult trip routinely made by Pheonix on foot to a nearby town for her grandson’s medicine which he needs for his swollen throat.

Blanche DuBois, the protagonist of the story, uses fantasy to cope with her world crumbling around her. After losing her job and being chased out of her hometown, she retreats to her sister’s home in New Orleans. She relies on her principle, a woman’s greatest tool

All her life, Birdie experiences failure. However, the only thing that she takes away from the experience is success. So, whether this is a tragedy or not, Birdie only sees it as a chance to be triumphant. In Ha Songnan’s “Waxen Wings”, the character Birdie grows up wanting to fly and the ways that she attempts to achieve this goal shapes her into the person that she will become. Songnan uses a sequential structure in order to take the reader through the highs and lows of Birdies’ life. She also uses historical allusions and a sense of optimism and morbidity in order to reveal the theme that failure is a stepping stone to success.

In “A Worn Path”, enduring is the word that best describes Phoenix because she undergoes issues with her mind, an arduous journey, and a racist man. First of all, Phoenix perseveres through all of the mental problems that she has. The narrator says, “She did not dare to close her eyes, and when a little boy brought her a plate with a slice of marble-cake on it she spoke to him. "That would be acceptable," she said. But when she went to take it there was just her own hand in the air” Phoenix obviously has issues when it comes to her mind. She imagines ridiculous scenarios and believes that they are real. Luckily, these mental problems do not cause her to give up on herself. Additionally, Welty writes,

The first literary element that plays a significantly important role in this story is symbolism. The most prominent example is involving Phoenix’s name. The name itself can have many different meanings and shows the reader a great implication of symbolism, “The references at the beginning of the story announce rather clearly that a comparison with the legendary bird is intended.” (Jones 1). Welty depicts Phoenix Jackson to resemble that of the ancient bird in both look

Eudora Welty’s “A worn path” is a short story illustrating the determination of an old woman going on a ritual journey for getting a medicine for her grandson and facing each challenge with success. The story shows the protagonist of Eudora Welty's short story "A Worn Path" an elderly woman named Phoenix Jackson. Welty’s description of the old women realizes on her usage of three artistic tools: imagery, foreshowing, and symbolism. The Three artistic tools will show how “A worn path” of an old women journey begins to achieve her goal.

In the short story, “A Worn Path,” Eudora Welty introduces an elderly, African American, woman named Phoenix Jackson, whom for two or three years has made a long quest to town to get medicine for her ill grandson. Initially, Phoenix must overcome many obstacles to reach climax of her journey. Eudora Welty uses these obstacles to demonstrate the theme of her story, which is that Phoenix’s ambition/hope was the leading role in her preserving.

In Eudora Welty’s “A Worn Path,” Welty discusses the very lengths an individual is willing to go to in the name of love. The protagonist, Phoenix, an elderly black woman, takes a long and treacherous journey from the countryside to the nearest city, all in hopes of collecting medicine for her sick grandson. Welty’s characterization of Phoenix conveys a tone of perseverance; the character battles many negative forces of the wilderness throughout the story, but despite this, Phoenix’s reaction to her surroundings is one of a pleasant tone. In Welty’s “A Worn Path,” Welty uses contrasting diction and a lexicon that conveys layers of both dark and light storytelling, while Phoenix, a woman of great strength and tenacity, despite her age, defies all odds through her

A historical great piece of literary art, “A Worn Path” published in 1941, is a story of an old woman’s journey to town through the forest. The setting is rural Mississippi in the 1940’s, a time when racism was a way of life and a trip to town, especially for an old black woman, was often a long journey and thus a trip not often taken. The old woman’s name is Phoenix Jackson and she has quite an adventurous trip through the forest to town. One is made to believe this is just an average walk down the path for this old woman; however the reader is entertained by Phoenix’s mannerisms and realizes there is deeper meaning of the story. This story, though short in length, host an abundance of symbolism, racial issues

The Finest Hours by Michael J. Tougias and Casey Sherman is the true story of the brave men who risked their own lives to save others. The journey across the sea consisted of many situations that they had to face. Not many people would risk their own lives to save someone else’s. The book describes the situations in a great deal, and any reader will enjoy reading the book.

The Phoenix: The Phoenix symbolizes rebirth. The Phoenix is known for rising from the ashes after being burned. In the story after the city has been destroyed, Granger compares the destruction to the bird. Both are destroyed and rise from the destruction. So if Granger and the others use their knowledge, they won’t be like the Phoenix and prevent destruction.